Brian Yuzna, internationally recognized master of independent horror films and one of the leading figures of the surprise renaissance of B-movies in Spain, has decided to set up shop in Indonesia. This legendary producer/director (his most well-known masterpiece is Society) has understood that, as a country with a well-established tradition of B-movies and enjoying low production costs, Indonesia currentl has the potential, with its burgeoning horror movie industry, to become a springboard for a brilliant new wave of cinematic horrors. With the support of Blitz Megaplex, a chain of cinemas which has diversified its products to Korean and Thai horror films in an attempt to compete with rivals Cinema XXI, Yuzna has set up a production company in Jakarta, suggestively called Komodo Films (after the famous and much-feared native reptile). The first film from this new label was Takut: Faces Of Fear, an omnibus film with six episodes, directed by seven young local directors who, against all expectations, made the most convincing horror in recent years, and one which is arguably the best Indonesian film of 2008.
In reality, Takut: Faces Of Fear made in a wily assembly operation: among the shorts, particularly Dara by Mo Bros., date from before the film and have had some success in the festival circuit. Yuzna’s idea was to bring together this group in order to give them the maximum exposure under a common theme - fear (or takut in Indonesian) - and for them to create several short stories which, put together, make up the average feature film duration of an hour and a half. The talent that gathered behind the camera are a mixed bag: they range from complete newcomers, like Robby Ertanto and Ray Nayoan, to rather more streewise directors, for example Rako Prijanto and Riri Riza (who, up to this point, has been known for his auteur films and is working here on a pure genre film). While it is always the case in omnibus films that some of the contributions are more convincing than the others, Takut: Faces Of Fear comes as a pleasant surprise because the standard is pretty even across the board, in both narrative and technical terms. This, in itself, is nothing short of extraordinary in Indonesia, where the horror genre often suffers the indignity of uninspired series that are put together haphazardly.
The opening segment of the film is Show Unit by Rako Prijanto, a director known especially for his prolific production of comedies (D’Bijis, 2007, Oh, My God!, 2008) and sentimental dramas (Merah Ity Cinta, 2007). The protagonist of the episode (played by the versatile Lukman Sardi, whom Udine habitués may remember in the role of Piktor in Quickie Express) makes a tragic error and, as a result, has to get rid of incriminating evidence. However, an entity in a nearby house witnesses this and does not let him get off lightly. Next is Riri Riza’s Incarnation Of Naya, one of the highlights of Takut. A young woman (Dinna Olivia) is convinced by her mother to return to the family home to take part in the purification ceremony of keris (a typical Malay-Indonesian asymmetrical dagger). At first skeptical of the ritual and traditional superstitions, she subsequently experiences first-hand the powerful effects of black magic. Grand and fascinating, Riza’s segment is a provocative illustration of someone being possessed from the inside. In Peeper, Ray Naoyan brings together the voyeuristic obsession of an elderly servant and the diabolic sorcery of a bloodthirsty artist; the result is predictable, but the efficient execution is suitable morbid. In The List, by Robby Ertanto, Yuzna’s influence is at its most evident: the ironic streak of horror movies is woven through a sarcastic story of one taking revenge by enlisting a dukun (an Indonesian shaman) to perform witchcraft. Raditya Sidharta’s The Rescue, on the other hand, is an explicit homage to Romero, with a part of the story which seems to be taken from the American director’s zombie saga. Dulcis in fundo, the highly acclaimed Dara by the Mo Brothers (Kimo Stamboel and Timothy Tjahjanto) closes this collection with a real firework - it is a slasher movie filled with tasty morsels of cinematic references and a knowing sense of humor is turned on the unforgettable figure of a cook sui generis. This ending, overwhelming and absolutely not to be missed, signal the Mo Bros. as a breath of fresh air in Indonesian genre cinema.
Anchalee Chaiworaporn